Broken Wings of Freedom
by kyojin slayer
Summary: Reader is one day picked to be Lance Corporal Levi's assistant. Will she be able to overcome all of the challenges thrown at her, all while trying to keep a steady relationship with her superior? Levi/Reader (there WILL be smut later on!)
1. A Certain Corporal And A Certain Soldier

Birds chirped from outside the open window as you swept the hallway, making sure not to leave any dust behind. You'd been tasked with cleaning the bottom floor of HQ-and while you certainly didn't mind, it didn't help that you had a certain Corporal checking up on you often.

It all started several days ago, when Levi called you to his office. Nervous, you hurried there, to find him sat behind his desk, looking down at a mound of paperwork. When he heard you knock and enter the room, he looked up, as agitated as you'd imagined he'd be. There was no reason you could think of why you'd be in trouble; you did as you were told, didn't mess around where or when you weren't supposed to, and the few times you had been caught slacking off, you'd made up for the lost time by working extra hard.

He motioned to the chair on the opposite side of his desk and you hesitantly sat down, easing into the chair slowly before folding your hands neatly in your lap. The Corporal sighed, rubbing at his temples gently. You sat quietly, trying not to fidget as you waited for him to speak up, but soon the silence became too much.

"Sir, I-"

"The Commander has informed me that due to the overwhelming amount of paperwork I've been tasked to complete affecting my general performance, he has ordered me to find an assistant."

Your eyes widened-he couldn't mean you, could he?

A groan escaped his lips, eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I'm choosing you because of your obedience towards superiors and ability to get things done." You nodded quickly, not wanting to get in trouble by disagreeing in any way. "You are to report to me every morning directly after breakfast. I'll decide what you can do tomorrow." There was a deep sigh, and then he leaned back in his chair. "That's all for now, Cadet. You're dismissed."

Quickly you stood and saluted before turning and leaving, glad that you weren't actually in trouble. It wasn't such a big deal to you, being used as an assistant of all things, because while the Corporal was somewhat brash and was said to give a rather large load of work at times to anyone with a rank under him, he also seemed to be somewhat more giving to those who worked hard.

The work itself, however... wasn't exactly what you expected.

The next morning, the short man had ordered you to begin cleaning Headquarters. When you asked him to specify where, he replied, "_All_ of it."

And so, you began cleaning.

Which brings you here.

"Cadet? You missed an entire room on the second floor."

You tensed, turning towards him and running what you were going to say through your head.

"The storage room?"

"Yes."

"There were some boxes I couldn't lift to clean under on my own, so I figured I'd find someone to help," you began. "but I couldn't find anyone that wasn't busy."

He took a moment to process that information before motioning with his hand to follow him. "I'll help you move them now."

Scurrying after him, handle of the broom gripped in your hands, you both climbed the stairs and found your way to the storage room.

The Corporal helped you move boxes, as you swept under them, taking care to not leave anything behind. Once you were done with that, you hurried away to find the bucket and sponge you were using before, replacing the water before returning to the storage room to clean the floor. Levi left after moving all of the boxes to the hallway himself (how strong must he have been to do that?), but returned later to find you panting softly, wiping sweat from your brow. You turned to him, a small smile turning the corners of your lips up.

"Did you want me to reorganize the contents of the boxes, sir?"

He shook his head. "I checked them after moving them all. They seemed good enough, so I wouldn't bother." You nodded, hauling yourself up and beginning to work on the cobwebs around the corners of the ceiling and floor. Once that was finished with, you cleaned the lone window, the only light source in the room, scrubbing it with as much energy as you could muster before stepping back to inspect it. You turned to your superior, and he came forward, scrutinizing it quickly before turning towards the door.

"Good job, Cadet. Let's move the boxes back."

You helped him, picking up the lighter ones and moving them back inside the room neatly, careful to not drop them.

Sighing, you stretched your arms over your head, wondering if you could finish the first floor by dinnertime. Unlikely, but you could try. Setting off towards the staircase, you heard a voice behind you.

"Going back to cleaning the first floor?"

You stopped, turning back to the Corporal. "Yes, sir."

He stared at you for a moment. "Take a break, Cadet."

You started, surprised. You hadn't expected that, but you figured you'd take the chance he was giving you anyway. You set the cleaning supplies on the floor before saluting, then picking them back up and hurrying off to put them downstairs.

Considering how tired you were, you decided to head back upstairs, finding your room and falling onto the bed, closing your eyes and wishing for sleep to come.

* * *

_Incredibly short chapter I know... And it ended really fast too. This is sort of an introduction chapter though, so things should pick up soon. Reminder that there will be smut scenes later on! I'll make them pretty obvious though so if you don't want to read them you can just skip over them. _

_And just to clarify, this happens sometime after Reader-chan graduates, and before any of the 104th kids come in. I dont know if I'll follow the main storyline at all or just let it be its own story... please review and tell me what you think!_


	2. Shady Dealings

**Two Weeks Later**

Leaning over with your hands on your knees, you let out a low groan. You panted heavily, looking around you. The Corporal couldn't be found anywhere, and he'd asked you to report to him half an hour earlier than usual. You'd knocked on the door of his office, and peeked inside, but he wasn't there, nor was he in his room, Commander Smith's office, the cafeteria, or any other place you thought he'd be. Cursing to yourself under your breath, you stood back up, racking your brain for any places you might not have checked.

"Cadet."

You whirled around, the face of the one you were looking for greeting you. You saluted quickly, left arm stiff behind your back and right arm in a fist over your heart. "Sir!"

He sighed. "Come along." He turned around and began walking off, hurrying behind him. For someone so short, he was rather fast-you'd never let him catch you saying it, though. "With the 44th expedition happening a week from now, as you know everyone's been taking time to ready all of the supplies and make sure all of the horses and gear are in good shape." You nodded, interest piqued. Maybe today you'd get a job aside from cleaning and organizing. "Last night I got a report from a soldier that a good deal of the supplies is missing. We need to do an inventory on everything we have, and figure out what exactly is gone and locate it."

Nearly letting a low groan escape, you caught it before Levi could hear. You tried to feel grateful that you weren't playing maid again, even though this task was much more difficult. _Jeez, _? Since when have you ever backed down from a challenge?_

A challenge... You rolled the word around in your head, liking the way it sounded. A challenge seemed much more interesting than a job, and perhaps you could find ways to make it less stressful.

When you both arrived at the building where the supplies were being kept, you were handed a sheet with the list of everything there. Unsure of where to start, you sighed, heading to the closest stack.

* * *

Twelve boxes of spare 3d Maneuver Gear parts, seven boxes of uniforms, a large portion of food supplies, two carts and four horses were gone. Finding Levi, you gave him the news and unsurprisingly, he cussed under his breath, turning and walking away. You grabbed your discarded jacket and the list and hurried after him.

"Oi, you. When was the equipment first noted to be stolen?" he called out to one of the two soldiers standing guard by the entrance to the warehouse.

He saluted, before replying, "Around sunrise, sir!"

"So at least an hour ago... when was the last time before that that everything was checked over?"

The soldier thought for a moment. "I do believe it was about one in the morning. Dante came out, said he wanted to check up on everything."

You thought for a moment; the name sounded familiar... It clicked in your head suddenly, and you spoke up. "Dante Lewis, right?" you asked.

The boy nodded. The Corporal turned to you. "Do you know him?"

"I don't really know him personally, but... I at least know where we can find him."

"Let's go there then."

* * *

Dante Lewis was known for being rather troublesome. From the time you were trainees together, all he'd ever done was cause trouble. It was a great surprise to everyone when he graduated, having not been kicked out of training already, but it was an even greater surprise seeing he'd decided to join the Scouting Legion rather than the Military Police or Garrison.

As it was almost noon, you had a feeling he'd still be asleep. His room was on the third floor, and both you and the Corporal trudged up two flights of stairs and down a long hall to find his room. You stopped in front of his door once you reached it, reaching up and knocking loudly on the wood.

"_God_, just leave me alone!" a tired voice called from inside.

Levi stepped forward, rattling the locked doorknob, as his eyebrows drew downward. "Cadet, get up and open this door. That is an _order_."

You heard something that sounded suspiciously like "What the _fuck_ is the Corporal doing up here?" before the door flew open, revealing a very disheveled Dante. He looked down to you, frowning confusedly.

"Lewis, is it?" The boy nodded quickly. "It seems that supplies for the expedition next week have gone missing, and you were the last one to have seen it." He visibly stiffened, and you wondered for a second if he was indeed guilty.

"Y-yes sir?"

"Did you see anyone suspicious while you were down there?"

Relaxing a bit, Dante crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. "Nope."

"In that case, I suppose I'm done with you." He sighed, turning to you. "_, let's go." You let out a short "yes, sir" before following after him. Running into his back as he stopped abruptly, you apologized softly as he turned looking back at the brunet soldier still standing next to his door. "Actually, you have cooking duty tonight. Think before you decide to slack off next time."

Keeping a loud snort from escaping, you followed after the retreating Corporal, leaving a spluttering Dante behind.

* * *

With no witnesses, and no leads, you were wondering what the two of you were going to do next. You'd asked everyone who would have been around late last night, but nothing important had come up. No one saw or heard anything from one to six AM, and there was no evidence that had been left behind.

Letting out a short sigh, you walked back to the dark path back to the main building after checking everything at the warehouse again. You'd helped Levi all day, done the best you could but the culprit still couldn't be found. You hoped that the missing things had just been misplaced, and that someone-maybe even someone you know well-wasn't the one who did such a thing.

While there wasn't anything missing that couldn't be replaced within a week, it was a serious crime to steal any supplies from the Scouting Legion. It didn't help that the expedition was so close-only six more days and you'd be outside the walls, Titans all around you. Even though it was your third time, it was still terrifying to think of facing them again. You shuddered, not wanting to think about it anymore.

"..._practically going to be rich from all that I managed to steal..._"_  
_

You stopped dead in your tracks, listening intently. The voice was coming from behind you, around the small gathering of trees.

"_I swear to God, I was so scared I was going to get busted. That stupid ass girl and the Corporal somehow managed not to figure out it was me._"

Dante Lewis.

_Damn it!_ you thought, angry at yourself. _I just knew he was acting suspicious!__  
_

Not wanting to face him yourself and risk getting hurt, but also not wanting to leave to find Levi or someone else who could help you and have Dante slip away, you decided to tiptoe over to the other side of a thicker tree, trying your best not to expose yourself to them.

Another, unfamiliar voice replied, "Well it's a good thing everything worked out on your end. I suppose the issue now is price..." You heard a muffled jingling, and knew that however much gold that man was holding must have been quite a lot. "How's this?"

A startled choke was heard and your frown deepened. "Th-that's good. That's-yes, that'll do." You heard more jingling and knew that Dante had been given the coins. Cursing in your head as the clouds slowly revealed the moon, light shining down and brightening the area, you tried to fold onto yourself more, trying not to be seen or heard.

"I've got my buddy waiting where you said all the goods were, so I'll go find him and take off."

You heard Dante chuckle unsteadily. "Yeah, have fun."

All of a sudden you heard footsteps, coming towards you. Gulping, you stayed as still as possible and hoped the shade from the branches of the tree were enough to block out the moonlight. Holding your breath as the man walked by, you at least tried to make out the man's face as he passed by you, not looking in your direction. You wondered if he would be able to hear the pounding of your heart, which only increased as you saw the rifle strapped to his back.

When he passed around the corner of the building and out of sight, you heard Dante laugh softly, shaking the bag of coins lightly. Eyes widening as you heard him walk away, unsure of what you were doing you stepped out from behind the tree.

"Oi!" you called out, and the boy halted abruptly, whirling around to see your furious expression, half-hidden in shadow. "What do you think you're doing?"

He stared at you, face holding terror for just a second before his features relaxed into a smile. "_, you don't understand. Do you know just how much gold I've just received?" He held the bag up and shook it gently. "It'll be enough for me to escape from here. The soldier life just wasn't for me, and I can see that now. All I've wanted is to leave here, maybe start a _new_ life under a _new_ name. You do remember that I have a criminal record, I'm sure."

"It doesn't matter what you want!" you yelled, and he let out a sharp '_shhhhhh_'. "Those supplies are important! You can't just steal from other people for your own benefit and expect no consequences!"

He stepped towards you and you stepped back, suddenly scared of him. Everything was quiet and you realized that there weren't that many windows on this side of the building. If you were to scream, you doubted there would be anyone to hear you.

"Oh, _," he whispered, taking several more steps towards you. "I don't suppose you want to run away with me?"

You scoffed. "Why the hell do you think I'd do that, Dante? Just-just come with me, and we'll take all the supplies from that guy and give him his money back, and we can forget that this ever happened, yeah?"

"I'm sorry, _. I can't do that. I'll fight you if I have to, and you know how much I don't want that."

You looked behind you, wondering if you could make a run for it and find someone to help you. You'd never been the strongest soldier, relying more on agility and your quick mind to get yourself out of a tricky situation, while Dante as you knew was entirely the opposite. If he managed to catch you, there was no doubt you wouldn't have much of a chance. Turning quickly you sprinted away, feeling the cool night air whip against your face for one blessed moment before your hair was grabbed and your feet swept out from under you. A hand found it's way around your throat, and you gasped, trying to hold as much air in your lungs as you could.

"I told you that you could run away with me," Dante whispered in your ear, tanned hand tightening around your neck. "but you refused. And I can't exactly have you giving me away..."

In a brief moment of clarity, you slipped your foot behind his knee, using whatever upper body strength you possessed to push him forward while your foot pulled back, knocking him down. He loosened his grip just enough for him to pry his hand from your neck, and you pulled your hand back, curling your fingers into a fist and punching him straight in the nose. He groaned, a trickle of blood making its way from one of his nostrils. You rolled over, not giving him a chance to recover and sitting back up, pounding your other fist straight into his throat. Dante choked loudly, wheezing as you got to your feet and began running away. Before you could get far, a hand wrapped around your ankle and you fell with your face flat into the dirt and before you could gather yourself you felt your body being flipped over, your waist straddled and a fist landing on your right eye. Moaning in pain, you opened the other eye in time to see his hand flying towards you and your hand came up to grab it.

In the small moment it took for him to register your hand on his fist, you brought your head up, knocking it straight into his teeth. You could feel a cut on your forehead, but ignored it as you lifted your hips and let one leg curl under the other, turning both of you to your sides and giving you enough momentum to flip on top of him. Grabbing his hair between your fingers, you lifted his head and pounded it against the ground once, twice, three times. Blindly, Dante reached out, grabbing your hair and pulling as hard as he could. You tried prying his fingers from the strands but to no avail, so you turned your head, biting hard into his wrist. He yelped, fingers releasing their grip and you took that chance to roll over and stand up, taking a combat position once you did so. Dante did the same, wiping blood from his still bleeding nose. You glanced over to where you'd have to run to find the nearest door, since where weren't any visible from where the two of you were standing.

He rushed forward, and you did so at the same time; but rather than hitting him from the front, you crouched and slid past his oncoming fist, taking this chance to dig your foot into the ground and deliver a hard kick to his lower back. He whipped around swinging a fist towards your head which you dodged easily. You stepped back, thinking about what you were going to do from here. You could run, and face the possibility of him getting away while your back is turned, or stay and fight with the likelyhood of being seriously wounded or killed. Weighing the options, you decided to stay, jumping as he swept a foot under you.

The fist that came flying into your stomach was not expected.

You bent over, drool escaping from your open mouth onto the ground. His knee came up, hitting the right side of your face. Another foot landed on your knee, and you screeched in pain, knowing it was at least fractured. You felt dizzy, and you couldn't think straight, and another hit landed on the back of your head and it only registered that you were on your back when for one moment of clarity the sky came into focus. You moaned quietly, pain radiating from every wound on your body. A shadow fell over you and before you knew it a hand was clasped around the front of your jacket, lifting your upper body from off the ground. A fist drew back, aiming for your face, but the foot that bashed into his own was entirely unexpected.

"So you're the trash that was selling our equipment," Levi muttered lowly, bringing his fist around to smash into Dante's cheek. Seeing that the younger man was on the ground, Levi turned his attention to you for a brief moment. "_, are you alright?" You groaned slightly in response, feeling too weak to say anything. Satisfied that you were at least alive, the Corporal turned back to Dante.

You didn't see what happened after that, as slowly your vision began to fade and you blacked out.

* * *

Light filtered in through the small window, and your entire body ached. Bringing a hand up to rub the sleep from your eyes, you looked over to see a certain Corporal sitting at your bedside.

"Corporal?" you asked weakly, eyeing him up and down. He looked rather tired-perhaps he hadn't slept?-and his clothes seemed more disheveled than you'd ever seen them.

"I see you're awake."

"Dante-"

He cut you off. "He was apprehended. As were the two men he was selling our equipment to."

You nodded slowly, relaxing a bit. "That's good."

Unsure of what to say, you decided leaning towards gratitude would be the best option. "Thank you for, uh... saving me back there." His grey eyes landed on your own, and you saw a flicker of something you weren't entirely sure how to identify in them.

"I suppose it wasn't anything special. Although you do have to make sure you don't put too much stress on your leg. While most of your injuries weren't that serious, your knee sustained quite a hit and you likely won't be able to walk well for quite a while. If you're unable to walk by the time the expedition comes, I'm afraid you're going to have to be left behind."

"Yes, sir," you replied quietly, your eyes turning away to focus out the window.

He sighed, closing the book that had been resting in his lap and standing up. Expecting him to leave, you waited for his footsteps but instead you felt a hand rest on top of your head. "You did a good job holding that brat off long enough for him to be captured. Get well soon, _, alright?"

You smiled softly. "I will."

* * *

_Well this definitely turned out to be longer than I expected! Around 3000 words if the ff.n word counter is correct. I've never really written a fight scene before so I hope everything that happened between Dante and Reader-chan sounded alright and there was nothing awkward._

_Also thank you to my four reviewers! I love you all! _


	3. Disappointment

**One Week Later**

Headquarters was bustling with activity, with people preparing the last of the supplies, making sure everything was in order and where it should be. You had been taking care of your leg, and while it still wasn't fully healed, you were hoping that it'd be good enough to pass. The doctor instructed you to stay off of your leg, and while you were itching to get up and move around, you were set on going on the trip outside of the Walls. He told you that it would take almost two months before you were even allowed to put weight on it again.

You questioned the doctor several times about the possible use of a brace, and insisting that it was likely you wouldn't be spending much time standing anyway. He threw several "what if" questions back at you, none of which you had an answer for, and you realized that the only chance you had was if you had someone else on your side to help convince him.

Which brought you here.

You looked up to Corporal Levi, a pleading look on your face, and he looked down at you with his usual uninterested expression.

"Cadet, stand up."

He held out his hand for you to use for balance, and you accepted it gratefully, carefully swinging your legs over so they dangled off the bed, right knee encased in a brace that was meant to help you walk. Carefully, you slid down to the floor, keeping most of your weight on your wobbly left leg. You gently shifted your weight from foot to foot, a small twinge of pain as you put weight on your injured knee, but nothing too drastic. You looked over to the Corporal, and he nodded slowly. "Take a few steps," he instructed, and you took a deep breath. Bringing your right leg forward, you placed it in front of you and slowly began shifting your weight there. _Good so far..._ As you lifted up your left leg, there was an unbearable shock of pain running down the limb and you gasped, knees buckling. The Corporal caught you before your knees could slam onto the ground, which you were thankful for, but at the same time you were angry at your body for not cooperating. You'd never be able to go at this rate, and the mission began in the morning. Staring down at the floor in shame, you waited for either of them to say something.

You glanced up at your superior, only to find his eyes locked on yours. There was a moment of silence until he broke eye contact to look at the doctor.

"I'm afraid she's not fit to join us. Make sure she stays in bed and heals properly."

Even though you knew he'd oppose you going, it still hurt to hear it said. Your face fell, and you looked down to the ground, rather disappointed. You felt the Corporal pull you back to your feet, and you complied silently, turning and hobbling back to the bed and sitting down. Levi motioned for the doctor to leave, and the two of you were then alone in the room. Your gaze was fixed on your interlaced fingers in your lap and you heard the short Corporal sigh from above you.

"There will be other times, you know," he said quietly. "Why make such a big deal over it? Are you in that much of a hurry to get eaten?"

"N-no," you stuttered out quickly, glancing up at him. You hadn't meant for your determination to go outside of the Walls once again to be mistaken as an eagerness to die. Though, you could understand how someone could think that. _I have my reasons after all..._ you thought, wondering if you should spill to the Corporal. He seemed to be a rather trustworthy person, and held at least a small amount of respect for you.

You weighed the options in your head, finally deciding that you should tell him. No need to go into explicit detail, but just enough that he would understand.

"Both my parents were in the Scouting Legion," you murmured, knowing you couldn't stop now. "They died while on a trip outside the walls. My mother had always told me stories about the sights they seen while outside of the Walls, and how there was still so much more to see... I always wanted to see those things for myself, and while neither of them liked the fact that I was willingly putting myself in danger, they understood the feeling of wanting more. More than this _cage_ that we live in." You only realized then the frown that had set itself on your face, and you tried to relax your face a bit. "So, once they died, I decided that I would see all the things they never got to. No matter how long it takes."

The black haired man leaned against the wall, arms crossed, before letting out a small hum. "Is that so?"

You nodded slowly, placing your hand lightly upon your injured knee. You knew how long it would take to heal, and this expedition would be a short one. Short enough for them to come back, and possible leave again before you've fully recovered.

"You're worried that you won't have healed before the next time we leave, right?" Your head snapped up, your eyes meeting his grey ones. Was it that apparent? _What are you thinking_, you scolded yourself internally. _Of course it is._

"Yes," you answered.

There was a small moment of silence before he replied, "I suppose that means you'll have to get a lot of rest then."

Leaning back onto your pillows, you grunted softly in agreement. "I suppose it does."

All you could do was rest... and hope.

* * *

_This chapter took too long! I'm so sorry, it's just that I've been stressed lately with all this schoolwork that's been piled on me, so I couldn't get enough time to write anything quality, but at least I got this somewhat boring part out of the way. _

_Also, Heichou probably seems a bit OOC, but, a lot of people portray him as this rude guy, which is fine, because he can be really rude but people also write him as violent and abusive and no one seems to capture the softer side of him that cares about people, so I thought I'd write more about that part of him rather than the blunt, unlikable part of his personality._


End file.
